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GE’s NBC Universal eyeing studio major DreamWorks
MUMBAI: General Electric’s NBC Universal is in talks to buy out the privately held, live-action film studio DreamWorks, according to agency news reports.
Reports also stated that Universal was considering acquiring the studio founded in 1994 by Steven Spielberg, David Geffen and Jeffrey Katzenberg.
The board of General Electric (GE), which owns NBC Universal, is scheduled to meet but it’s unclear how much the company would be willing to pay for DreamWorks.
DreamWorks Animation, the animation studio that came into existence last year, is reportedly not a part of the discussions, but Universal would have the right to distribute future cartoon tiles from the company that created Shrek.
DreamWorks creations have been movies such as American Beauty and Gladiator but the studio has scaled back its plans over the years. In 1999, it abandoned plans to build a high-tech studio in Los Angeles, hived off its music division in 2004 and curtailed its TV production.
Its most recent film, The Island, which it distributed with Warner Bros., cost an estimated $122 million, according to industry tracker Box Office Mojo.
DreamWorks was founded in 1994 by three entertainment moghuls — director Steven Spielberg, recording industry executive David Geffen, and Jeffrey Katzenberg, who had headed Walt Disney Co.’s studios and now serves as CEO of DreamWorks Animation. Its initial investors included Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen.
In 2004, the company dropped its music business, selling its record company to Universal for $100 million and its music publishing unit to New York-based venture capital firm Dimensional Associates for about $50 million, according to the international reports.
The share price of DreamWorks has fallen since then as the company had to warn investors of disappointing DVD sales for Shrek 2. Its market cap is about $2.3 billion today, and the company has dropped plans for a secondary sale of shares held by some of its initial investors.
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UDF poised to return to power in Kerala, says Manorama-CVoter survey
Massive opinion poll projects shift in Kerala politics ahead of 2026 Assembly elections.
MUMBAI: The winds of change appear to be blowing through Kerala’s political landscape and this time, they seem to favour the United Democratic Front. A comprehensive mega opinion survey conducted by Manorama News in partnership with CVoter projects a potential comeback for the UDF in the upcoming Kerala Legislative Assembly Elections 2026. The survey, covering all 140 constituencies with a massive sample size of nearly 90,000 respondents, predicts the UDF could win between 69 and 81 seats.
The ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) is expected to secure 57 to 69 seats, a significant drop from the 99 seats it won in the 2021 elections. This would mean the LDF losing 30 to 42 of its sitting seats. Meanwhile, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which drew a blank in 2021, is projected to open its account with 1 to 5 seats.
Region-wise, the UDF is expected to make strong gains in Malabar, winning 25 to 34 out of 48 seats, and in Central Kerala, where it could bag 29 to 33 out of 53 seats. In South Kerala, the LDF is likely to retain an edge with 21 to 25 seats, while the UDF may improve to 12 to 16 seats. The NDA could pick up 1 to 3 seats in the southern region.
The survey was conducted between 14 and 26 March 2026, with additional tracker and snap polls carried out from December 2025 to March 2026. A total of 89,693 respondents participated, ensuring representation across all demographics and social segments.
Manorama News has a strong track record of accuracy, with its previous projections closely matching the actual results of the 2019 and 2024 Lok Sabha elections as well as the 2021 Kerala Assembly polls.
In Kerala’s famously fierce political battles, this survey suggests the pendulum may be swinging back. Whether the final verdict matches these numbers or throws up another surprise, one thing is clear, the 2026 Assembly elections are shaping up to be one of the most keenly watched contests in the state’s history.
